Page 29 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

He bursts into action, his combat knife glinting in his fist, leaping forward to protect me.

He moves faster than my eyes can follow, but it isn't fast enough.

Viper in Blood Lust is quicker.

One brutal sweep of his arm sends Blaze flying across the clearing. He hits a tree with a sickening crack, bark bursting around him as his body slams against the trunk and drops hard to the ground.

"Blaze!" I scream, but my raw throat mangles his name into a broken rasp.

Through the bond, pain flares hot and furious.

‘Fuck me, that hurt,’ Blaze groans.

I exhale in relief.

If he can swear, he’s all right.

Shade fires, aiming low.

The shots hit Viper’s feet and hamstrings, meant to slow him, not kill him. His body jerks with each impact, but the wounds start healing as fast as they appear.

Knox uses it as an opening.

He charges in with his combat knife drawn, moving with brutal precision as he cuts for tendons, joints, anything that might buy us a few more seconds. Shade keeps firing from the edge of the clearing, each bullet placed with terrifying care.

It should stop him.

Against any other Alpha, it would.

But Viper is not any other Alpha, and Blood Lust has turned his body into something faster, stronger, and almost impossible to keep down.

Knox lands a cut across Viper’s thigh. Another across his ribs. Viper barely reacts, and he keeps pushing forward, his black eyes fixed past them on me.

He’s running on base instincts now.

Alpha sees Omega. Alpha kills the rival Alphas. Alpha claims. Omega submits.

It doesn't help that Knox keeps glancing over his shoulder, eyes shining with disbelief, relief, and hope. Seeing me alive is breaking his focus.

"Knox, watch him!" I shout.

He flinches at the sound of my hoarse, broken voice.

Viper's fist slams into Knox’s ribs, and there is an unmistakable crack that turns my stomach. Knox barks in pain and hits the ground hard, one arm folding protectively around his side.

Viper follows him down.

His fists hammer into Knox’s face and body, blow after blow, each impact driving him deeper into the dirt. Blood spatters across the grass. Knox tries to block and twist away, but Viper is too strong.

Blaze staggers into view behind Viper, his sidearm already raised.

He fires twice into Viper’s back.

The shots hit, and it's enough to make Viper stop beating Knox into the dirt. His head lifts, his shoulders rolling as the wounds start healing almost immediately.

At first, I think he’ll turn on Blaze.

Instead, his black eyes find me.